Chapter 5 Not all mothers are great.

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THE FLASHBACK.

"Mira has no choice but to marry King Alvarez, your majesty! She just has no choice!" The voice of the reigning queen and wife to the present King of Havilla kingdom thundered heavily within the four corners of their bedroom and it happened to be that at that time, Princess Mira was strolling along the hallway when she heard the chaotic voice of her mother and the argumentative voice of her father, so she stopped to know what the fuss was about. Initially, she had wanted to ignore them and go her way but how could she ignore them when she literally heard her name in the fuss.

Mira paused and then went to position herself just beside the door which was left slightly open. She was used to this and she was tired that she had to experience it all the time; the constant arguments and disagreement by her parents concerning her arranged marriage to King Alvarez, King of Divaria kingdom.

Yes, that was the bone of contention -- her mother wanted to sell her off to the King of Divaria kingdom in a bid to secure their throne which was at the verge of slipping away from their hands.

Mira had always thought that it was supposed to be the king that would rain fire and brimstone concerning marrying their daughter off to a foreign kingdom because she has heard numerous cases about this but in her case, the reverse was the case. Her mother... Her own mother was the one pioneering the whole case and making it seem serious and loud. Who could ever believe that a mother who was supposed to stand against marrying her daughter off to an old King was the same one instigating the despicable marriage matter?

Though she wasn't surprised. Queen Margaret had always been like this and her unnerving character sometimes made her question the true nature of their relationship and familiarity. Mira would ask herself sometimes if the woman she called "mother" was truly her mother because she has never seen or heard that a mother would want to sell her daughter off to an old man and to a foreign kingdom for political gains. It was outrageous. The thought in itself was disgusting and definitely nothing to write home about.

Mira had heard of stories like this but they were mostly stories that happened during the medieval period, the ancient times and she still couldn't believe that such a thing would still creep its way to the modern age where global warming had overtaken the better part of the planet. What was worse was that her father, King Desmond, seemed not to have a say in the matter. It wasn't like he wasn't saying anything at all about it but it was alarming how he as a king would allow his wife to dominate him in such a sensitive and eminent case like this.

And so the argument continued.

"Margaret, I think we should have a rethink about what we are getting our daughter into. You are taking this matter more seriously than it needs to be." The frail voice of the King argued calmly before he proceeded to sit on the bed.

"Because it is serious, your majesty!" She sighed as she realized that her tone might have been too harsh for the king. "Listen, Mira is my daughter too and I love her. I love her from the depth of my heart and that is why we have to do this. This is more than her happiness. The throne is at stake here. The kingdom. Everything you have suffered all the years. No... Everything that we have suffered over the years to build is at stake here. We have no son. There is not an heir to rule over this kingdom after your demise and then what happens? Do you think that I will sit down and fold my arms while I watch another reap from where he did not sow? That is impossible, Desmond. I won't allow it." Her statements were strong and stable and from the tone of her voice, one could actually tell that she meant every word that she said.

"I still think that you should calm down. You are taking this matter more far-reaching than it needs to be. My daughter has the right to choose if she wants this or not. I cannot trade my daughter's happiness for the sustenance of the throne." A long sigh escaped his lips as he rested his back on the bed and his arms spread apart. "I am tired, Margaret. I really need to rest. We will talk about this later." He retorted before closing his eyes to sleep.

"Your majesty. Your majesty." She called out to her husband but there was no reply coming from him. There was no way that she was going to continue speaking about the issue when he wasn't paying attention and so she grunted, yelling out to herself for not doing a good job.

Mira couldn't believe the desperation of her mother concerning the throne. She stood there watching her from the little space that the door let out and she was in disbelief at the current behavior of her mother. She left the door side immediately and turned back to go to her room. She had wanted to go for a stroll but now her zeal had been cut short and all she wanted to do was to go to her bedroom and cry her heart out.

...

As Mira got to her room, she sat down exhaustively on the bed and she tried to fathom the whole situation all over again. Her heart was heavy and she could feel the welled up tears in her eyes waiting to pour out. Then she got distracted by the reflection of herself in the mirror which was just situated adjacent to her bed and then she stood up from her bed, heading straight for the mirror.

She stood in front of it and looked at herself as though she was waiting for her reflection in the mirror to speak to her. She placed her hand on it trying to deceive herself that she was going to be consoled from it and seeing that her expectations weren't forthcoming, the tears which she had stored up in her eyes came running down. She wept uncontrollably until she fell to the ground. At that point, her heart felt like a heavy stone -- a stone that she wished she could roll away but unfortunately she couldn't.

After crying for a long time, Mira soared into a deep sleep. And then she had a dream…